Don't Quit

I wanted to share a poem that a really good friend of mine sent me in a card awhile ago. (Hopefully she doesn't mind I share it!) :)
Her message was this,

"Kara, I'm always amazed at your positive attitude and sense of humor! I'm sure it's not easy though. I was given this poem many years ago and I wanted to share it with you as well. Love, Kristi"

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with it's twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When you might have won, had you stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow-

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out-

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near, when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

--Author Unknown--

Definitely gives you something to think about. Especially when you are feeling down on your luck and you can't handle anything else. I've been told by many people, just like Kristi said, that they are amazed at my positive attitude and my sense of humor with all I have gone through over the last few years. I honestly do not think that I have done anything different then what other people would do if they were faced with the same situation as myself. I sure do have my down times where I do not think I can stand another day feeling the way I do and hurting the way that I do. That is where I pull my strength from God and my family and friends and know that if I can just make it through the rough patch that I am going through at the time...that good days will follow.

I try to remain positive (Doug may disagree!) :) but I do struggle with this the most. I am used to things going my way and being so busy. Not being able to do what I used to do has brought out the negative side in me! I have tried to keep my humor...even when I have been in the ER, or in the hospital, I have tried to have a sense of humor about things to an extent. If I've lost that humor, or smile, then one would know that I am really sick! ;) Honestly though, I find it easier to smile then frown. Even though I do not feel like smiling, or I am feeling really cruddy, I like to smile and at least pretend that I am okay. Humor lightens up any situation though, which is why I like to throw it in every now and then.

I was so excited for my friend, Kristi, as she just had a baby girl last week! She has 3 very adorable little boys already and while pregnant with this last baby they didn't find out the sex. Not knowing drove me nuts, but I had a feeling she was going to have a little girl and she did! When I got the text last Sunday that she had a girl I was jumping up and down...with my oxygen on of course...and not too much jumping either, haha! Doug just looked at me weird like I had lost my mind. I had prayed every night since I found out that she was pregnant that not only would she have a healthy baby, but a healthy baby GIRL! :) So, prayers, answered! I also had been praying for another good friend of mine...Jackie...that after years of trying to conceive that this would be her year. I know if it's God's will that He will make it happen, and that's simply all I asked of Him. She found out last week that she is having TWINS!!!

I pray every night that maybe, just maybe, God will send me a miracle as well and maybe heal me so that I won't have to have a transplant after all. That is far-fetched as I will definitely have to have the transplant, but I know that He can do anything He wants.So who knows? I have promised to do whatever it takes, so maybe he will answer this prayer of mine and life can return to some sort of normalcy for me. I know this may sound weird, but I've still never gotten used to the idea of having to have a lung transplant. Thinking about it, I just cannot picture myself ever getting it. So whether that is God telling me that something else will come along and happen (I'm thinking good here, not bad...), or what, I do not know. I do wonder though since I keep getting these "detours" from Cleveland. These "detours" are simply God telling me that it just isn't time yet, that He has something else up his sleeve. At least that's what I keep telling myself anyway! ;) Let's hope that I am right!

Before I turn in for the night, I just wanted to thank everyone for everything again! The outpouring of love for us has been so great and Doug and I are still being amazed at the generosity of everyone...friends, family, strangers even! We can't thank you enough and know that when I am all better that he and I will be paying it forward to help others in need as everyone has helped us. Our hearts have swollen with such gratitude. The gun raffle was a HUGE success, and we thank Copes Distributing for donating the guns in the raffle. Thanks to Randy and Shawn for heading the raffle up, and for everyone that sold tickets, and to those of you that bought tickets. Words cannot express how thankful and grateful we are. The Thirty-One party that Sarah held for me with all of her commission from the party going to me was also a HUGE success! So thanks to all of you that bought something from the party to help me out, and thanks to Sarah for giving me your commissions! :) There will be one last hurrah to help raise money...the benefit that will be April 28 from 6-11 at the VFW in Greenville. There will be more information to follow, I don't have all of the details, but mark your calendars and come on out. It will be a lot of fun and I would LOVE to see you! :)

Still just a 'lil caterpillar, but I have a full and happy heart to carry me until it's time for me to get my butterfly wings! :) Love to you all! <3